Bearings, Gears & Power Transmission calculator
Bearing Preload Setup Time Calculator
Estimate the hours to preload a batch of bearing sets at your bench's demonstrated pace. Shim changes and checks stretch the base setup time, so the target shows whether the run fits the schedule.
What this calculator does
- Bench hours to preload a batch of bearing sets at a studied rate, checked against a setup target.
Formula used
- Base setup hours = bearing sets to preload ÷ verified preload setup rate
- Required setup hours = base hours × (1 + shim and verification allowance ÷ 100)
- Shim and verification hours = required hours − base hours
- Hours over target = required hours − target setup hours
Inputs explained
- Bearing Sets to Preload: Bearing sets on the preload schedule, from the build traveler.
- Verified Preload Setup Rate: Sets a technician preloads per hour, from a recent time study.
- Shim and Verification Allowance: Share added for shimming and checks, from the standard time sheet.
- Target Setup Hours: Preload setup hours the schedule allows, from the work order.
How to use the result
- Best suited to staffing a bearing preload bench, scheduling a rebuild batch, checking a setup run against a shift.
- Setup hours only; bearing life and preload force need a separate bearing calculation. A first build of a new housing runs slower than the studied rate until the bench learns it.
Current U.S. benchmarks
- The U.S. has 21,668 machinery manufacturing establishments employing about 1,086,146 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
Common questions
- Why can the allowance not exceed 100 percent? The allowance is a share of base setup time, so 100 percent doubles it at most. V2 caps it there and blocks larger entries rather than accept an impossible setup share.
- What does a zero setup rate mean for the estimate? No hours answer exists, because base setup time divides the set count by the rate. The calculator blocks and asks for the demonstrated rate.
- Why use a preload rate instead of the assembly rate? Preload is a bench operation with its own measured pace. The assembly rate covers different work, so using it would price the shim and check loop at the wrong speed.
- Does the shim allowance cover a design change? No. It covers the shimming and verification the current design needs. A new shim stack, housing or preload spec changes the base time, so remeasure the rate first.
Last reviewed 2026-10-01.